Christmas Comes Early For The Lost Gardens, As We Welcome the World’s Cutest Lambs’!
- 15th Dec 2016
We are delighted to say that we have now also taken a very special Christmas delivery of five of the 'World’s Cutest Lambs', along with their mothers and a Valais ram, who are already delighting visitors that pass by. We are hoping these new additions will not only enchant visitors, but also continue to assist the owners with their grazing problem brought on by their growing flock. This will make Heligan the only attraction in the South West to showcase the breed.
The breeders Stuart Billinghurst and Emma Collison, were the first people to import these charming sheep to the UK, in 2014. This unique and increasingly rare breed has taken the world by storm and are considered the ‘World’s Cutest Sheep’ and a must see at Heligan.
“I am so grateful to The Lost Gardens of Heligan after hearing our plight about our loss of grazing and having to sell a lot of our sheep off, they have come to the rescue and are helping us keep some of our beloved sheep. We hope that all of the visitors of the Gardens enjoy seeing our beautiful sheep; watch out for lambs in the coming months!” Emma Collison
The Valais Blacknose Sheep originate from the Valais Canton in Switzerland. This region in the central Rhone Valley is simultaneously one of the driest regions of Switzerland and amongst the wettest, having large amounts of snow nearly all year round up on the highest peaks of Switzerland.
Although the earliest mention of these sheep dates back to the 1400's, these docile mountain sheep were first recognised as a separate breed in 1962. The black patches on their nose, eyes, ears, knees, hocks and feet and otherwise light woolly coats make it quite unmistakeable.
“We are thrilled to be welcoming the new additions to the Heligan family and think they will fit in perfectly alongside our rare breed farm animals, here on the Estate.” Iain Davies, Head of Gardens and Estate.
Valais Sheep are known to be good for their meat as well as their wool, which is best used for felting and carpets. They are very rare and their existence is currently threatened by the recent return of the Wolf to Switzerland. The work of the Valais Blacknose Breed Society and partnerships with organisations such as The Lost Gardens is vital for the survival of this endearing breed.
If you would like more information on this adorable breed, please click here to go to the Valais Black Nose Sheep Website.
All images credited to Matt Cardy/Getty Images
